Gabby Sullivan learns in college that some things are impossible to control, and whenever life has spun out of control bad things seem to happen. She promises herself that she’ll stay a safe distance from the top three culprits:

Sex

Love

Relationships

But some things are beyond control…

Gabby handles her mom’s death and brother’s sudden abandonment just about as well as anyone could at the age of twelve. Left feeling alone, she finishes high school, developing a bit of a wild streak, and lives like there’s no tomorrow. That is until an illness stops her in her tracks. Learning to control life around her becomes her comfort. With a visible scar that reminds her and the world that she beat the odds, it’s impossible for her to put everything behind her, no matter how hard she tries.

Right out of college she begins working at her family’s company and buries herself in the safety of the corporate world. No extra time, no life, no relationships. It’s safe to say she might be a little demanding and overly ambitious, but she’s got everything under control, just how she likes it.

Jason’s been trying to piece his life together after a personal tragedy, only it’s not working. He’s thrown himself into his work, but he’s only becoming angrier. He’ll never forgive himself and doesn’t expect anyone else to either.

When the back of his vehicle is clipped by an obnoxious limo driver he can’t wait to let the driver have it until he hears Gabby’s voice coming from inside the sedan. There’s something soothing about it, something familiar.

The moment she sees him, she knows her life will never be the same. But she doesn’t know why. He’s everything she said she never wanted. He’s cocky, arrogant, and infuriating. With his dazzling amber eyes, dark hair and chiseled features she can hardly remember where she’s going, let alone where she’s been and maybe that’s a good thing. She begins to let him show her what life could be, if she really lived it.

Neither wants their past to define their future, but sometimes destiny has something else in store. It’s only as their love grows and secrets are revealed that they realize a devastating connection from their past might actually tear them apart.

My Review

I love a book that can invest me in the characters right off the bat. I loved Gabby and Brandy of course and their awesome friendship. It’s nice when a main girl has someone to bounce things off of rather than just in her head. Jason is scrumptious and I even loved how Gabby has a great relationship with her father and stepmom. Even Aaron had a quality about him that made me want to like him. I was ready to hive five the book for it’s awesomeness on that front.

Of course all these awesome relationships have complications as the book progresses. There are developments that you are like oh man how do you deal with that. I don’t want to give too much away because there was certain things that I didn’t expect.

It was pretty easy for me to relate to Gabby on the brother front. I have 3 older brothers and the youngest of the 3 who is 5 years older than me (like the story) and I were very close. It’s been a little over 4 years since I’ve talked to him now. So I understand what it’s like when something like that happens and made it easy for me to relate to her reservations of forgiving him or even wanting to talk to him. I thought Gabby was really mature about the whole situation though. When more things come to light I am super impressed with her reaction. She’s not perfect but she has a way of stepping back from something and seeing it for what it is.

Gabby and Jason’s relationship is adorable and I love how there are lots of parts of the book that has their communications shown through phone calls and texts. There was something unique and cute about it. Despite the fact that Gabby is kind of snarky to Jason in the beginning he keeps on trying anyway. It’s obviously they are a great match for one another.

This is easily one of my favorite NA novels. I just really enjoyed the plot and the different facets of it. It’s nice to have a different take on NA then the typical story. I would recommend this if you are looking for an NA but feel like you keep reading the same thing.

About The Author

Karice Bolton lives in the Pacific Northwest and is a writer of Young Adult and New Adult books. She loves to read anything and everything. She also enjoys baking, skiing, and spending time with her wonderful husband and two English bulldogs.
Books currently available:
*Beyond Love Series: Beyond Control (Book 1) Beyond Doubt and Beyond Reason coming soon
*The Witch Avenue Series: Lonely Souls (Book 1), Altered Souls (Book 2), Released Souls (Book 3) Shattered Souls (Book 4)
*The Watchers Trilogy: Awakening (Book 1), Legions (Book 2), Cataclysm (Book 3), Taken Novella (Watchers Prequel)
*The Camp
Karice would love if you stopped by her blog or FB page to find out the latest news on giveaways and upcoming releases, or you can just send her an email. She loves hearing from her readers and responds as soon as she can.